Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum

Established in 1940, it became a complex of camps including Auschwitz I (the main camp), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the extermination camp), and Auschwitz III-Monowitz (a labor camp). Over 1.3 million people were deported to Auschwitz, of whom approximately 1.1 million were murdered.

Auschwitz I, initially a concentration camp, later included a gas chamber and crematorium. It was primarily used for political prisoners, but its role expanded to include the extermination of Jews and others. Auschwitz II-Birkenau, constructed in 1941, became the primary site for the mass murder of Jews, equipped with four large gas chambers and crematoriums. Auschwitz III-Monowitz, established in 1942, served as a labor camp for the I.G. Farben industrial complex.

The camp complex also included numerous subcamps, where prisoners were subjected to forced labor in various industries. The conditions in these camps were brutal, with starvation, disease, and inhumane treatment leading to countless deaths. Medical experiments were also conducted on prisoners, including sterilization and drug testing.

The liberation of Auschwitz occurred on January 27, 1945, when Soviet troops entered the camp and found around 7,000 surviving prisoners, most of whom were ill and dying. The liberation revealed the extent of the atrocities committed at Auschwitz, including the remains of the gas chambers and piles of victims’ belongings.

Post-war, the Auschwitz camp complex underwent several transformations. Trials were held to bring Nazi perpetrators to justice, including the Auschwitz Trials in Poland and the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials in Germany. These trials were crucial in documenting the crimes committed at Auschwitz and providing justice for the victims.

Today, the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum serves as a memorial and educational site. It includes preserved remnants of the camps, such as barracks, gas chambers, and crematoriums. The museum provides a comprehensive understanding of the camp’s history and its role in the Holocaust.